1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ejector for use with a card edge connector, and particularly to an ejector which is adapted to be assembled to the housing of the connector, and which includes a stopping device to protect the ejector from damage caused by an unusually large operating force applied by a user.
2. Description of Prior Art
With the development of communication and computer technology, Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM) cards have become more and more popular for use in the PC industry, and thus DIMM socket connectors mounted on mother boards for mechanically and electrically connecting to DIMM cards are required. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,074,800, 5,167,517, 5,211,568, 5,302,133 and 5,364,282 disclose typical DIMM connectors. These can be compared with conventional card edge connectors, as featured in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,734. DIMM connectors typically include a pair of latch/eject members at two opposite ends thereof to latchably retain a DIMM card. These latches not only prevent inadvertent ejection of the inserted card due to vibration or external impact, but also allow easy ejection of DIMM cards by a rotational movement of the latch/eject member.
Referring to FIG. 6, U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,803, which was granted to the same assignee on Jun. 3, 1997, discloses such a DIMM connector 10. The DIMM connector 10 comprises an elongate housing 12 mounted on a mother board (not shown) and a plurality of conductive contacts 16 retained in the housing 12. An inserted card (not shown) is adapted for insertion into a central slot 14 defined in the housing 12 to make an electrical and mechanical connection with the conductive contacts 16 for signal transmission. A pair of latch/eject members 70 (only one shown) are rotatably engaged with opposite ends of the housing and alternately lock an inserted card in the housing 12 or eject the inserted card from the housing 12. An engaging block 40 is formed on both ends of a pair of elongated walls of the housing 12, each forming a slanted surface 42 thereon. The latch/eject member 70 includes an eject portion 78 for abutting against the slanted surface 42 of the engaging block 40. Using this engagement, the inserted card is ejected out of the housing 12 and the latch/eject member 70 is prevented from over-rotation during ejection of the inserted card. The engaging block 40 and the eject portion 78 must both be strong enough to withstand an engaging force therebetween caused by an operating force pressing against the lever portion 82 of the latch/eject member 70. Accordingly, if a user presses against the lever portion 82 with too large an operating force, the engaging force will be too large, causing damage to the engaging block 40 and the eject portion 78 since they are relatively thin and fragile.
Hence, an improved ejector for use with such a card edge connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.